In its ritual context, Freemasonry employs an allegorical foundation myth: the foundation of the fraternity by the builders of King Solomon’s Temple. There are many questions surrounding the existence of Freemasonry in its personal connection with the Founding Fathers of our American Society. How did Freemasonry get it start? Who are the original Freemasons? What role does Freemasonry play in the American culture today?

Historical Facts #2

Historical
Facts of Freemasonry

There have been many comparisons to Freemasonry and other Secretive
Cults in America.Some would say that
Freemasonry was the start of many demonic cults in the United States over the
last 100 years.Freemasonry refers to
the principles, institutions, and practices of the fraternal order of the Free
and Accepted Masons. The largest worldwide society, Freemasonry is an
organization of men based on the "fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of
man," using builders' tools as symbols to teach basic moral truths
generally accepted by persons of good will. Their motto is "morality in
which all men agree, that is, to be good men and true." It is religious in
that beliefs in a Supreme Being and in the immortality of the soul are the two
prime requirements for membership, but it is nonsectarian in that no religious
test is used.The purpose of Freemasonry is to enable men to meet in harmony, to
promote friendship, and to be charitable. Its basic ideals are that all persons
are the children of one God, that all persons are related to each other, and
that the best way to worship God is to be of service to people. Masons have no national
headquarters as such, but the largest regional is the Scottish Rite Southern
Jurisdiction (35 Southern states), which is headquartered in Alexandria,
Virginia. U.S. membership is claimed at about 3.5 million, with about five
million worldwide. The basic unit of Freemasonry is the lodge, which exists
under a charter issued by a grand lodge exercising administrative powers. The
lodges are linked together informally by a system of mutual recognition between
lodges that meet the Masonic requirements. The lodge confers three degrees:
Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. Additional degrees are
conferred by two groups of advanced Freemasonry: the York Rite, which awards 12
degrees; and the Scottish Rite, which awards 30 higher degrees. In the United
States and Canada, members have formed a large number of groups to enable them
to expand their social and charitable activities. The best known of these
groups is the Shriners (official name: "Ancient Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine"),
who hold festive parades and support hospitals for crippled and burned
children. To be a Shriner, one must be a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason or its
equivalent in the York Rite (Knights Templar). (The 33rd degree is an honorary
degree bestowed upon especially worthy masons who have accomplished outstanding
work in such fields as religion and politics.)Although only men (of at least
21 years of age) can be Masons, related organizations are available for their
relatives -- there is the Order of the Eastern Star for Master Masons and their
wives; the Order of De Molay for boys; and the Order of Job's Daughters and the
Order of Rainbow for young girls. The Masonic Lodge has more than a hundred
such fraternal organizations, including Daughters of the Nile, The Tall Cedars
of Lebanon, The Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm, The
Knights of the Red Cross of Constantine, and The Blue Lodge.Many other secret societies seem
to be patterned after the Masons. L. James Rongstad says that Freemasonry
"is the 'Granddaddy' of all lodges. Its teachings, rituals, customs and
practices, and its secrecy have had an inspirational effect on other similar
groups such as the Moose, Eagles, Elks, and the National Grange." Mormon
Temple rites are also strikingly similar to Masonic Lodge practices (probably because
Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church, was also a Mason). Most of the
rituals of today's college fraternities are also based more or less directly
upon Masonic rituals. Since Masons are involved in so
many worthy causes, many are unaware that Masonic leaders readily admit that
Freemasonry is actually a religion, not merely a "fraternal, social, civic
service organization." Joseph Fort Newton (1880-1950), an Episcopal
minister and recognized authority in the Masonic world, said, "Masonry is
not a religion but Religion -- not a church but a worship in
which men of all religions may unite." In fact, Freemasonry even sees
itself as superseding and unifying all religions. (At various times and places,
Freemasonry has met religious and political opposition. Religious opponents, especially
the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox churches, have traditionally claimed
that Freemasonry is a religion and is a secret organization.)

Work
Cited

Rongstad, James L., “The
Lodge”, Alibris Music and Writings, Book Revised (1995)

Bogdan, Henrik, “Western
Esotericism and Rituals Initiation”, State University of New York Press,
Albany, 2007.

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About Me

My name is Edward Elijah Brinson. I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My family relocated to Flint, Michigan in 1973 where I attended Flint Beecher High School.
In 1976, I moved to Detroit, Michigan where I attended Detroit Pershing High School and graduated in 1978.
I continued my education at Northern Michigan University where I played college football as a Safety.
In 1979, I joined the United States Marine Corps, and served as a Marine Scout Sniper until 1983. I joined the United States Army in 1985, and served in the elite special operations unit known as Special Forces (Green Berets). I retired from the United States Army in 2008, and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina.
I have an Associate’s Degree from Davenport University with a major in Business Management which I received in 2004.
In 2010 I enrolled in classes at The University of North Carolina – Charlotte, in pursuit of my bachelor’s degree.
I am currently a junior studying Software and Information Systems as my major and Operations Management as my minor.

History

History of the Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a spiritual and fraternal society that uses an initiatory system of degrees to explore ethical and philosophical issues. It views itself not as a secret society but as a society with secrets. The Masonic Order has roots from antiquity. Members of the Order are joined together by shared ideals of both a moral and metaphysical nature and by a common belief in a Supreme Being (the Great Architect of the Universe).
In this blog, we will explore the many facets of Freemasonry and its continuous effort to show the world that it is more than just a society of men, whose only concern is for themselves. But to explain the misunderstood thinking process of those individuals who see Freemasonry as a social club of Gentlemen misfits. Freemasonry played a major role in the founding of the United States, with many Founding Fathers being Freemasons, including such notables as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. The cornerstone to the U.S. Capitol was laid by Washington in a Masonic ceremony. And with this foundation, Freemasons have developed into one of the largest fraternal organizations in the world.
In my blog, I have touched a few topics that will stir the imaginations of many people who have a strong interest in understand what Freemasonry is. My first page starts off with the History of Freemasonry and the signs and symbols that are associated with it. Next, I listed famous Freemasons in history, who have been very instrumental in the growth of this country, and other members who have gained recognition through other professional endeavors. After this, I touched on a few historical facts about the origin of Freemasonry and the different Masonic Lodges that are located around the world. Next, I talked about the misunderstanding of Freemasons and the Illuminati. I mentioned in the next segment of my blog the differences between white and African American Freemasons, and the division that exist between them for many years. I briefly talked about the History of the Masonic Grand Lodges in North America, and if a person was interested in joining the Freemasons, how to go about do so. The last few topics I mentioned were, debates over how to wear Masonic jewelry and emblems, Freemasonry in the community, and last, the end of Freemasonry.
I hope with this blog, I will explain to others the true facts about Freemasonry, and bring forth a better understanding of how Freemasons and their Lodges are doing great things in their communities with the many charitable organizations that they support.